Severe pain at top of calf/altering position

[Folly1]

As the track day progresses, I experience an increasing pain at the top of each calf, just below the knee. It is not so bad in the first session, but gets worse throughout the day, limiting the amout of time I can ride.

I have experimented with a stationary bike and learned that it is caused, by my weighting the inside peg. I have a lot of weight on that peg. ( I have never understood how anyone can put weight on the outside peg. )

I have tried various stretches, quad, hamstring, and calf but so far, no joy. I will keep up the stretches, but am searching for other ideas for a cure.

At the moment, the only thing I can think of is keep my butt more on the seat and try to compensate by getting the upper body out further.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ben.

 

[stow]

Ben,

I used to put most of my weight/support on the inside peg. I would twist around the tank and get my whole upper and lower body off the bike. I didn't feel comfortable riding unless I rode this way, but my knees would kill by the end of each session.

I took the California Superbike School last year and they showed me how to lock into the tank with the outside knee and support my weight from there. Basically you don't twist around the tank, you push on the outside peg and push your outside knee into the tank. You want to get your upper body low and off of the bike. It helps if you put the ball of your inside foot on the edge of the peg and open your hip/knee out wide. Your butt still needs to come off the seat, but only half of a cheek is all.

This really helped me out a lot with my knees. I still resort back to my old riding style when I get uncomfortable or frustrated, but I am trying to break myself from the old form.

Good Luck,

Shane

 

[jimmeigs]

Try 400 mg ibuprofen, 4 hours before riding then every 4 hours or so during the day. Ice or cold compresses to the area between sessions will also help. Taking your leathers off to expose the area and cool it off also helps during hot weather.

I have bad knees and the now retired Dr. Dave recommended this routine to me and it really makes a difference.

 

[lemondrop]

Can you describe the pain? Burn, ache, stabbing, numbness?

Does it stay in the one spot or travel up/down?

do you work out?

if so, have you tried working out your calves?

appropriate stretching for the calves?

ever had any back problems?

does it hurt when you try to stand on your toes? how about bending your knee into resistance?

What relieves your pain?

You "calf" is composed of several muscles, however, predominantly your Gastroc (the muscle on the outside which people think of as the "calf") and the soleus (underneathe the gastroc). The gastroc goes past the back of your knee and down to your heel; hence it can control both joints. Whereas the soleus only goes down to you heel, which only controls your ankle.

Advil will only help for inflammation, if you have an impingement, it will do very little.

 

[ta2kutz]

i know this is a stretch. but could it be the top of your boot digging into the back of your leg????
just wondering

 

[Folly1]

lemondrop;46228 wrote: Can you describe the pain? Burn, ache, stabbing, numbness?

Does it stay in the one spot or travel up/down?

do you work out?

if so, have you tried working out your calves?

appropriate stretching for the calves?

ever had any back problems?

does it hurt when you try to stand on your toes? how about bending your knee into resistance?

What relieves your pain?

You "calf" is composed of several muscles, however, predominantly your Gastroc (the muscle on the outside which people think of as the "calf") and the soleus (underneathe the gastroc). The gastroc goes past the back of your knee and down to your heel; hence it can control both joints. Whereas the soleus only goes down to you heel, which only controls your ankle.

Advil will only help for inflammation, if you have an impingement, it will do very little.

It is an ache. It does not move around. It is the same for both legs. I work out upper body, walk and do some cycling. I am 64, 6'1" and weigh 195lbs. I have run a lot in my life but can't now because there is no cartlidge in my L knee.

It does not hurt when I stand on my toes but does hurt when I try to squat. My back hurts when I stand a lot. I have always had tight hamstrings. The pain stops when I get off the bike, or at least the level drops. As I said, it increases over the day. I had thought it was from lifting my butt off the seat to hang off, but that is not the case. It is from taking a lot of weight on my inside foot.

Thanks to all of you for your help.

Ben.

 

[Folly1]

ta2kutz;46234 wrote: i know this is a stretch. but could it be the top of your boot digging into the back of your leg????


just wondering

Thanks. I wish. I sat on the bike this morning while wearing loafers and the pain came back full force as soon as I shifted my butt of to one side.

Ben.

 

[strgt]

stow;46216 wrote: Ben,

I used to put most of my weight/support on the inside peg. I would twist around the tank and get my whole upper and lower body off the bike. I didn't feel comfortable riding unless I rode this way, but my knees would kill by the end of each session.

I took the California Superbike School last year and they showed me how to lock into the tank with the outside knee and support my weight from there. Basically you don't twist around the tank, you push on the outside peg and push your outside knee into the tank. You want to get your upper body low and off of the bike. It helps if you put the ball of your inside foot on the edge of the peg and open your hip/knee out wide. Your butt still needs to come off the seat, but only half of a cheek is all.

This really helped me out a lot with my knees. I still resort back to my old riding style when I get uncomfortable or frustrated, but I am trying to break myself from the old form.

Good Luck,

Shane

I had bad knee pain last year as well from weighting my inside peg too much. When I asked around the paddock, this is what a lot of people told me to do. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to feel much more comfortable on the bike.

 

[lemondrop]

Folly1;46246 wrote: It does not hurt when I stand on my toes but does hurt when I try to squat.

does it reproduce the pain when you squat, or does squating just hurt in general?

 

[lemondrop]

My thoughts without an evaluation.....

POPLITEAL CYST

The popliteal cyst (Baker's cyst) is the most common synovial cyst of the knee. It originates from the posteromedial aspect of the knee joint at the level of the gastrocnemiosemimembranous bursa. The patient reports insidious onset of mild to moderate pain in the popliteal area of the knee.

On physical examination, palpable fullness is present at the medial aspect of the popliteal area, at or near the origin of the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle. The McMurray test may be positive if the medial meniscus is injured. Definitive diagnosis of a popliteal cyst may be made with arthrography, ultrasonography, CT scanning, or, less commonly, MRI.

Meniscal Injuries
Meniscal tears, especially a tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus can produce posterior knee pain. The pain is usually reproducible with deep squatting and may be accompanied by a “pop” or “click.

 

[MikeK]

Ben,

Nice to see you are still riding, having suffered from JRA as a youth I can literally "feel" your pain. My knees and wrists are pretty much shot at this point in my life (38) but I have found a few things that help out. Cross training on the bicycle for me and keeping the joints moving and muscles moving helps tremendously, day of riding at least 2 Aleve an hour before getting on the bike. For me no alcohol and more fluids makes a big difference in pain levels, even one beer the night before and I notice more pain. Too much effort into getting off the bike makes it worse, work on getting the other knee hooked on to the tank as others have noted and less pressure on the inside leg. I also spray my knees and areas that bother me down with this before riding: http://www.procyclesafety.com/pcs_store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=3. The stuff works, kind of super icy hot spray in liquid form that can be applied a few times througout the day, does not smell great but you will not feel as much pain.

I have been pounding my body for over 20 years riding motocross and this year will be 10 years of track riding. Hang in there and keep trying different things until you get your comfort level back.

Take care and let us know how you make out this season.

 

[meowculpa]

+1 to Lemondrop's post. good call- baker's cyst. more likely in this scenario because of age [sorry] and resultant degenerative jont disease which would weaken the synovial membrane thereby predisposing to the formation of baker's cyst. at least that's what I think.

if he does have a posterior horn tear of the medial meniscus on the right side [ the left one has been taken out] then, he'd probably have medial joint line tenderness on the right knee.

hope it's not an impingement / aneurysm and all dat jazz.
an appt with your doc is perhaps warranted in your case.. wouldn't pooh pooh it and keep chugging NSAIDS like advil/ aleeve/ ibuprofen etc without knowing the reasons.

 

[Folly1]

Thanks a lot guys. I will go see a Doctor if Shane's work around does not fix it. (Fortunately I have one that has done some track days.) There is not much swelling behind my knee, but it does seem a little puffy to the touch.

Now giving up beer, and even more so, beer at the track if more than fate should ask of anyone. I might just work harder on my pain tolerance.

Thanks again.

Ben.

 

[ERB68]

Folly1;46312 wrote:
Now giving up beer, and even more so, beer at the track if more than fate should ask of anyone. I might just work harder on my pain tolerance.

Thanks again.

Ben.

:wow::wow:

That would suck, but not riding would suck more!

Good luck

 

[Folly1]

I will keep riding. When I quit it will be because I feel that I am a danger to others. I assume that this will come with time, tho like Joe Namath, " I can't wait until tomorrow because I get better looking, (faster), everyday". Earle, (SE CR), is my Hero. If you don't know him you are deprived and should correct that.

My milage is less, at the moment, but I am riding quality laps and enjoying it more. Also, I get more days on my tires, not a bad thing, given the costs.

Thanks again to all for the input. This is a great club. I told Bob Blanchard (sp-?) the owner this, and he said, it was because of the staff and members. I said it has to be more than that, and as I recall, he said, "it is because we chase away the A**holes." Bob, if I am quoting you wrong, it is because of a beer soaked "older mind".

Thanks again all. I will be at Road Atlanta this weekend. Red,White and Blue 750, #646. Stop by and say hi.

Ben.

 

[lemondrop]

meowculpa;46311 wrote: wouldn't pooh pooh it and keep chugging NSAIDS like advil/ aleeve/ ibuprofen etc without knowing the reasons.
+10000000

meowculpa;46311 wrote: posterior horn tear of the medial meniscus on the right side [ the left one has been taken out]

missed that part:doh:

 

[Folly1]

I saw my Doc this morning. He says probably not a cyst but more likely an inflamed tendon. HE likened it to a tennis elbow and suggested more stretching, etc.

I am going to follow Shane's suggestions and try to have less weight on the inside leg.

Thanks again,

Ben.

 

[lemondrop]

An inflammed tendon would be painful a) all the time (like tennis elbow) or b) with multiple repetitions that utilize that musculotendonous structure. From your explanation, it could be your gastroc, hamstring, or (very unlikely) popliteaus.

did your doc do any resisitive testing on you?

Just from your subject complaints, I am not convinced it is tendonitis. Nevertheless, stretching will help.

 

[Folly1]

Jon S.

Thanks for the concern. The pain is exactly where the popliteaus is located. It was tender at the Dr.'s office. I took Motrin along with the Acetaminophen that I always take for my constant knee pain. I did some stretching and some contracting, put the peg more toward the center of the foot, kept more of my butt on the seat and tried to get upper body off more and used the outside leg to brace the tank harder, when I could remember it. It was a bitch to think about all of this and try to ride bike on such a fast and fun track.

I rode 70 miles each day with some pain maxing at a 6 or 7 on a 10 scale, insead of a 9. That was a hugh improvement as in the past I have not been able to go much over 50 miles a day. I have hope that I can work completely through this with stretching and other exercise.

Thanks again for your suggestions.


Ben.

 

[Chad Dupree]

you should try some stomp grip on your tank. It helps alot.